right on the border, whose people are still
living like pioneers."
Then, in a different voice: "There's some
thing else about the kibbutzim. Has it ever
struck you that this way of life is curiously
close to Jesus' teachings? Personal poverty,
lack of possessions, putting the interests of
others first...."
"His injunctions do apply," I said. "'Take
no thought for your life, what ye shall eat;
neither for the body, what ye shall put on.'
And 'beware of covetousness: for a man's life
consisteth not in the abundance of the things
which he possesseth.'
"And 'do unto others....' Perhaps it's be
cause these communities and He are products
of the same demanding land."
TEL QAZIR is a raw, sun-washed settle
ment on a small hill directly under Syrian
military installations.
"We have about 60 members, all young,"
said the kibbutz secretary. "Some are married.
We have a few children. Here we are not pro
In Field and Shop, Israeli Youths
Labor to Build a New Nation
Years ago, when the modern state of
Israel was little more than a dream, the
kibbutz, a communal farming settlement,
emerged as an important way of life for
Jews who came as strangers into a new
and hostile land. Deganya, founded by a
dozen Russians in 1909, became the first
of these pioneer communities.
To ghetto dwellers of Eastern Europe,
denied the privilege of owning and farm
ing land, manual labor seemed as ad
mirable as any intellectual endeavor. It
still does. People work at the job the kib
butz assigns them, whether it be in the
banana grove (left) or in the kitchen.
High school youngsters learn fine wood
working in a well-equipped shop (right).
Deganya has ceased to be a pioneer
settlement. Its members may own a few
small possessions and enjoy modest lux
uries, but in the main everyone still owns
everything. Children are brought up
apart from their parents, for the kibbutz
functions as an extended family.
tected by the land, even from rifle fire, so
we've built bulletproof walls to shield our
children's house, our dining room, and our
cattle shed [page 848]. We've needed them.
"It's a difficult life, and there are not many
who want to live it. High risk, small comfort,
no reward except from your own conscience.
All that calls for a special kind of person."
On the sea below, a water skier cut curves
on the slick surface. The secretary grinned
ruefully. "That... and this! A mile apart!
Still, why not?"
I stopped off at an army base on the south
shore to arrange a visit to Susitha, a Greek
ruin on an isolated peak behind 'Ein Gev, the
northernmost kibbutz on the sliver of land
between the sea and the Syrian mountains.
Susitha's ruins contain an advanced outpost
guarding the precariously placed kibbutz and
is out of bounds for casual visitors.
I lunched with a genial major who looked
like a Yorkshireman, and the prettiest captain
I had ever seen. She had red hair, green eyes,
freckles on a small straight nose, and looked
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